Cry Pretty
by AriaMcGee
Summary: I'm pretty good at keeping it together I hold my composure, for worse or for better. After her life crumbled into dust, Jordyn Pillsbury moved to Lima to be with her aunt. Everything changed from that day forwards. She was fragile and labelled damaged property. The only time she was complete was when she was dancing. But McKinley wasn't kind to kids of the arts.
1. Prologue

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Romanticism of weakness had led to the common misconception that broken was beautiful. People believed that having fault lines tracing skin that gripped to bones like cling film was beautiful. It was as though there was a mutual understanding that when a person cracked the cracks were filled with gold./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Jordyn knew that better than most that society had fallen into a rut. Broken wasn't beautiful. Lying in a hospital bed, the gown itching where it met her bruises, she was not pretty. When her face had been inked in mascara lined tears, she wasn't gorgeous./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"In fact, if anyone were to call her beautiful while she led there she may muster up the strength to let out a laugh. Her skin was pealing from her lips like a collage of her last life, falling apart as quickly as it had done in reality. Gaps between her bones were as defined as the continents on a map. She was the perfect example for a biology class. Heavy eyelids continued to close as she drifted too and from consciousness, living between reality and head. In her head she was dead; in reality she was fighting for her life./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"To society she was too broken to be beautiful. She wasn't pushing a cupcake away with a perfectly manicured hand. Nor was she sitting in a group of girls crying pretty tears about how she was so alone. Fighting for a label had become equivalent to fighting to be popular. Jordyn had never wanted a label. She only wanted the pain to stop./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Kindness was a virtue that Jordyn hasn't been shown in years. Slowly, she had begun to believe that it had become extinct in the world. She had convinced herself that it had been used up by people who saw it as a privilege they were entitled to, the same way fossil fuels were slowly being used up. Only, to Jordyn, kindness was rarer than a piece of coal./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Coal. She was fed up with the amount of times she had been compared to coal. Being told how under pressure the most valuable things are made, had become a constant occurrence since she had taken refuge in the hospital. Nurses would tell her that these past two years would make her stronger than she could ever imagine, but she believed they would just make her crumble./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"One person seemed to understand that she didn't need to be told things get better. Even though she believed that one day Jordyn would be able to look back on these moments and say that they made her strong, Emma Pillsbury didn't tell her niece. She knew that it wouldn't help her. Not until she believed it herself./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Being a guidance councillor, Emma knew many ways in which she could help Jordyn. However, she wasn't Jordyn's councillor, she was her aunt. There was a line between the two that Emma wasn't prepared to cross. Familial support was what Jordyn needed from her, not a therapy./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"For the months that Jordyn was in treatment, Emma sat by her side. The younger never spoke, not to anyone that ever tried to pry the trauma of her past from her mouth. Yet, she would listen to Emma for hours. Her high pitched and lucid voice was enough to set a smile on Jordyn's face./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"From the moment the two had met, they had known that they were going to fight the war together./span/p 


	2. Chapter One

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Summer was coming to a close. Most girls would have been upset because they couldn't spend the day in pool anymore. Jordyn wasn't most girls. Having been out of the hospital for the last few months, Jordyn's summer was relatively uneventful. For the most part she was spilling her heart into her notebook./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"For the last few weeks, Emma had told her all about McKinley High School. As much as it tore her apart to rip Jordyn from her friends in Denver, Emma knew that a fresh start would be in Jordyn's best interests. Also, at McKinley, Emma could look out for her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"So, the night before she was due to be starting the school, Emma knocked gently on the door to Jordyn's room. When there was no answer, she pushed it open to see the girl curled up with her headphones firmly in her ears. Tapping her fingers on her thigh as if she were playing a piano, Jordyn looked more at peace than she ever had done before./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Sitting on the edge of Jordyn's bed, Emma caught the girl's attention, gesturing for her to remove her headphones. Letting as smile fill her face at the lack of pain in Jordyn's face, Emma let out as sigh as she asked, "Are you ready for tomorrow?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Raising her shoulders, Jordyn pulled her eyes away from her aunt. There was something about the idea of going to school again that made Jordyn happy, but there was also a part that terrified her. She had spent a year away from the bustle of high school and now she was going back. A year later than she was supposed to, Jordyn was started her Freshman year./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I mean, if you need to you can always come to my office. I'll show you where that is tomorrow." Emma explained, reaching out to place her hand on Jordyn's knee, the girl flinched slightly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Emma, I'm sorry I'm like this." Jordyn sighed, biting the inside of her lip. "I want to be able to act like a normal person."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Where's the fun in being normal?" Emma smiled, earning herself a glare from Jordyn./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""You know what I mean." She whispered. "Tomorrow I'm likely to end up in your office by lunch time. I don't think I am ever going to have a normal life, or even semi-regular."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Once again, where's the fun in that?" Emma questioned, folding the cardigan at the end of Jordyn's bed once more. "Tomorrow will be hard, I'm not denying that, but you can't let anything that happens tomorrow take control of your life."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Thank you. For everything."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""You don't have to thank me, that's what families for, isn't it?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Sighing, Jordyn met Emma's eye when she asked, "Why didn't my dad take me in then?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Emma didn't know how to answer. She had no clue why her brother had given up the chance to have his daughter in my life, but she did know it was a big mistake./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I know they contacted him." Declared Jordyn. "So why didn't he want me?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I don't know Jordyn," Emma sighed, shaking her head as she stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm going to start cooking in a minutes so dinner will be about forty-five minutes."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Okay," Jordyn nodded, looking down at her phone as she heard her door close./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"After a few moments she noticed that something was wrong. A sudden urge to stand under the dropping beads of water that could wash away everything, but the sins that wrapped their hands around her neck, filled every piece of her being. However, no matter how many times she scrubbed her skin until it bled, she couldn't wash away the dirty feeling that consumed her mind. There was nothing that could stop that feeling from invading her mind./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Deep inside Jordyn-Jocelyn Pillsbury was a war zone that held every feeling of resentment and anger that she felt towards the man who had done this to her. Each and every moment she was a second away from a breakdown, from letting everything that had happened in her past take away her hope for a future./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Stepping into the bathroom, Jordyn pulled the door shut twisting the lock until she heard it click. Sighing as she realised that she finally had even a small element of privacy, she turned on the shower allowing the water to warm up gently. Slowly and carefully, Jordyn began removing her layers of clothing. One by one peeling off the layers that defended her eyes from the truth of her past. The cotton cardigan and blouse were a thick armour for her mind and soul, shielding her from the agony of memories./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Scanning her torso in the mirror, Jordyn's hands traced the dark marks on her skin, her nimble fingers assuring that her pain remained minimal. Every cracked rib and fracture bone that had gone unset had left her structure flawed and imperfect. Each resetting of the bone had hurt multitudes more than the initial break, but the new normality of her structure had mended the portions of her soul that had been truly affected by the proof./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Stepping out of her jeans, Jordyn's eyes fell upon her own factors. There was nothing that she regretted more than the marks that now plagued her skin from her own doing. There was nothing she regretted more than the sins she had committed when she dug her hatred into her skin. Tears fell down her cheeks as Jordyn slipped out her remaining clothes before ducking under the warm water that dropped like rain from the shower head./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"As the water worked away all of the sweat and dead skin that had been covering Jordyn's body, the dirty feeling inside Jordyn's head remained strong. Reaching for the soap, she began to once again scrub her body trying to clean away the feeling of his hands trailing alone her skin. His nails digging into her wrists. The feeling of his lips forced themselves on hers. She wanted it all to go, but no matter how hard she scrubbed the feeling lingered. Jordyn wasn't sure if that feeling would ever go away./span/p 


	3. Chapter Two

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Eyes flickering open, Jordyn's head filled with pain as a sliver of light, peering through the curtains, invaded her pupils. After months of darkness in the past, the early morning light was painful on her senses. However, once she had gotten over the initial feeling of light in her eyes, Jordyn fell in love with the warm feeling it left on her face. The rays danced on her skin, their kisses leaving small circular marks in their wake./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Sitting up slowly, Jordyn felt her eyes scan the room, still shocked by the kindness that these this stranger had shown her. Of course, Emma was her aunt, but she had barely ever see the girl before. When her brother had abandoned her as a toddler, Emma lost all contact with the child and her mother. So, when her social worker had told her that her aunt had agreed to take her in, Jordyn had been shocked. Yet, as soon as her shattered eyes met her aunt's, Jordyn knew that this was where she belonged./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Pushing the covers off her body, Jordyn was reminded of the horrors of her past as her eyes met the multitude of scars and bruises that plagued her legs, arms and torso. Broken memories threatened to reply as Jordyn struggled to drag her eyes from the marks on her skin. She didn't want to remember, she wanted to forget. She wanted to forget with everything that came before she moved to Lima. To start a fresh with her aunt, but Jordyn knew that it wasn't that easy. There was a lot that had to happen before she could move on with her life./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Firstly, she had to come to grips with who she was beyond her past. For years she had defined herself by the words he had thrown at her that sent more damage through her body than his fists. However, now she was away from that. Yet, somehow, he was still managing to keep her locked in his cage of labels./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Starting fresh meant that she could reinvent herself without the fear of someone realising that her confidence was faked. If she could do one thing, she would make sure he didn't get the satisfaction of winning./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Before she left her bed, Jordyn glanced over at her phone smiling at the picture that filled the screen. Her and Matthew. In Denver Matthew had been her rock, the person who assured her that she would rise above everything one day. Now he was worlds away and she was relatively alone./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Without thinking, Jordyn pulled up his contact and pressed the call button. They hadn't spoken properly in a little under a year, but in that moment Jordyn just needed his reassurance that everything was okay./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Hello ghost." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"His voice teased from down the line, a groggy quality was hugging his words indicating to Jordyn that she had woken him up./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I am not a ghost." Jordyn retorted, her voice holding a playful quality she believed she had long since lost. "There is more to me that a myth."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I'm sorry, you did drop off the face of the earth. I wasn't sure you could speak." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Matthew declared, causing Jordyn to suck in a breath in mock shock./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I can speak perfectly fine." Jordyn smirked, forgetting that Matthew was hours away. "First day of Freshman year. Do's and Don'ts, go."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Do not wear your sweater, that is not going to be cool." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Matthew replied quickly, without even taking time to think. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""Wear that cute dress your Mom go you."/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Noted."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Also, try and refrain from speaking Spanish." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"He added, Jordyn could picture him running his hand through his hair as he style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" "You got this misfortune of looking like your father so your Latina roots do not show through."/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I do look like an irish fairy." Jordyn admitted, not wanting to argue, but also seeing the sense behind his words./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Also, watch out for the jocks and the cheerleaders. Here they run the place, it won't be much different there."/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Ay dios mio!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I knew it was going to be an issue."/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I forgot you aren't at my school." Jordyn groaned as she through herself down on her bed with a huff. "How do you make friends?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Silence filled the line for a moment, before Matthew replied, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""Smile."/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Helpful." Jordyn snorted./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"~*~/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Taking a seat at the back of the class, Jordyn wondered how long it was going to take the school before they gave her Spanish as a free period. It had happened in Denver and she was sure it was going to happen here. She was already fluent in the language, as well as being able to recite multiple nursery rhymes in the language./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Before long, she was joined by a petite Asian girl who was wearing clothes that told people to stay away. It was a smart idea for the first day, Jordyn was jealous she hadn't come up with the idea herself./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""H-h-hi." The girl stuttered her words falling out of her mouth in chunks. "You were i-in my math class."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Nodding, Jordyn let a small smile fill her face as she recalled Matthew's words. Taking a deap breath, she let the words flow from her mouth, "You were in front of me. Mrs Brent was a bit of a bore, I am surprised I wasn't snoring by the end."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""She acted as though we had never studied math before." The girl smiled, a light laugh leaving her mouth. "T-tina by the way."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Jordyn."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Before the duo could say anything more, the teacher walked through the door calling for the class to settle down. Even though there hadn't been much noise, he had acted as though there was a riot. However, Jordyn had been told by Emma that the school was known for its deviance in lessons and in the halls, so she wasn't surprised by the overreaction./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Slowly, the lesson passed, the teacher, who had introduced himself as Mr Schuster occasionally glancing over at Jordyn as she doodled in her notebook. The red head assumed that Emma had spoken to him before the class had stated, as he didn't seem bothered by her actions./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"When the bell went, Tina turned to Jordyn and asked, "Do y-you want to j-join me and Artie for lunch? Y-you always seem a bit l-l-ost."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Sure, but I need to talk to Mr Schuster first." Jordyn replied, mentally applauding her successful socialising./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"They walked towards the door, Tina leaving her and pushing a boy in a wheelchair towards the door. Jordyn assumed that was Artie. Stepping towards the teacher's desk, Jordyn was met by a smiling man who seemed to be aware of the girl before she had even changed her direction./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I take it you're here about the content." He declared, causing the girl to nod her head. "Well, I know your aunt and she had already told me about your Spanish abilities, so I have arranged for you to move intospan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanmy Sophomore class."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Won't that clash with my timetable?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""You will be in Sophomore Spanish and English. Based on your results at the end of middle school, that shouldn't be too much of a challenge."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Thank you. I don't know how long I would have lasted with people mixing up em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"por /emand em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"para./em" Jordyn joked, making the teacher laugh./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""My Sophomore class makes that mistake as well."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Oh querido!/em"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Exactly."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"~*~/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Students filtered through the halls of the school, each one of them shoving to get to there lockers before their seat in the cafeteria was taken. This bustle of people, each of them knocking the invisible girl as she tried to get to a quiet place so that she could breath, was just what Jordyn had been fearing./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Crowds and noise sent her mind into overdrive. It would delve beyond what was reality and cling to the very ideas she had concocted in her head. For the most part she had been able to control herself that day. However, that all changed as, with not intention of spite, she was shoved into the row of lockers./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Suddenly, it was a though she was underwater. Noises began to merge, becoming a mess of sound that she couldn't pick apart. Franticly she tried to swim to the surface, but a weight tied to her feel kept her submerged. Splashing her arms around had caused everything to spill over the sides. Holding her emotions in had become as hard as containing the sea in a jam jar./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"For the most part she felt as though she had been forced into a costume a dozen sizes too small. A thread, that was all she needed. Somewhere along the line everything has been sown together and now she needed a loose thread to pull at. In her costume comprised of clashing colours and a crippling corset the ends had been tied off perfectly. There was no easy escape./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"She had felt the poison in her stomach before it had claimed her entire body. She had seen the masked assailant creeping up behind her before he had wrapped his hand around her throat. Yet, no one seemed to notice her battle with an invisible foe./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Forcing her feet to move, despite the feeling that they had become fused with the floor, she pulled herself towards the teachers lounge. Disrupting Emma was the last thing she wanted to do, but at that moment she had lost all ability to fight the instinct. She wanted to curl up in a foetal position and let the fear take over her body. That was not an option. She was already and outcast, she didn't need to be a laughing stock as well./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Turning into the door, Jordyn's eyes fixed instantly on Emma. The woman knew from a quick glance that the teen was falling apart behind her façade. The girl was looking straight ahead, her eyes glazed while she scratched at her wrists. It had happened countless times over the summer, but never to the extent that it was in that moment./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"From where Emma was frantically standing and rushing to her niece, she could see that Jordyn's nails had broken the skin. That was the one part she had told Emma about; the feeling of his hands around her wrists. That was the one part that wouldn't go away./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Shocking the entire room, Emma grasped hold of the teens hands keeping them apart, so she couldn't cause more damage. Locking her eyes with the girls, Emma took in deep breath, "It's okay, Jordyn. You just need to breath."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"For a moment it looked as though Jordyn was chocking. Every breath she attempted to take was being regurgitated into the atmosphere. Her body was rejecting it, labelling it a pathogen causing her to be unable to swallow it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Count to ten." The words left Jordyn's mouth at a mumble, her breathing steadying with every number that left her throat. "Now in Spanish." The same thing happened, calming Jordyn from the state of fear she was in./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I'm sorry." She sobbed as she gripped onto her aunt tightly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""You have nothing to be sorry for." Emma whispered as she pulled her niece into a hug, not worrying about the tears that were soaking her cardigan./span/p 


	4. Chapter Three

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"As Jordyn sat in the chair opposite her aunt she found one aspect of the school more confusing than any other. It wasn't the movie cliché of a social system, or the constant throwing of slushies. However, they were close to the top. What confused her was the glass walls surrounding the guidance councillor's office./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Presumably, it was for the safety of the students and Emma, but that didn't change the fact that sessions should be confidential. Even though she wasn't there for any reason but Emma's reassurance, Jordyn felt like sinking into the soft cushion of the chair. If McKinley was anything like John F Kennedy middle school, gossip would spread fast and each new ear would add an embellishment to the story. Jordyn was hoping that she never became a victim to that burning fire./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Before Jordyn could have time to think about what she was going to say, a boy knocked lightly on the door. Glancing at him, Jordyn guessed that he was her age, possible younger, but the former made more sense. He was carried a series of books that Jordyn assumed was her literature texts, considering she had it that period./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Are you Jordyn?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Nope, I'm just in here for the fun of it." Jordyn joked, causing the boy to chuckle and Emma to glare at her. Jordyn had always joked when she felt awkward, but Emma never understood that fact. "Yes, I'm guessing you are from Lit."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Nodding, the boy passed her the books before adding, "We have been partnered up for the first project."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Oh," Jordyn mumbled, not being aware that there would be group assignments. She barely knew anyone in her year, let alone the year above. All she hoped was that this boy was easy to work with. "What is the project?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""We have to give a presentation on one of these books." He answered before passing her a sheet of paper from inside the book he was holding. "I had best get back, but my number is on there so that we can work out when we are going to work on it."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Sure." Jordyn nodded watching as he turned away. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Surprisingly, she had been able to talk to him without any fear running through her body. Without Jordyn knowing, Emma had realised this already and let a smile fill her face. Although the elder wasn't sure who the boy was, she was hopeful that Jordyn would have no problems working with him. However, there was already a great contrast in Jordyn in that moment to how she was when Emma returned to her life. To begin with Jordyn hadn't even had the ability to joke./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Shit!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Language!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Sorry, I just realised I have no clue who he is." Jordyn announced, grimacing at her inability to socialise properly. "Plus, I just got given a number from a guy I have only known for a minute, if that."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Shaking her head as she fought back a laugh, Emma passed her niece the pot of pens on her desk, "That may be the case, but if you are staying in school you need to do some work."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Is it bad that I am happy to do work as long as I get to use the pens?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Pulling out her matching set, Emma shook her head, "Nope, I have always been the same."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""We are just crazy together."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"~*~/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Finally, she had found the room she was unknowingly looking for. Longing for a release of the tension building up in her mind, her heart had pulled her feet to the one place she could be free. Despite the mirrors that lined the walls, this room would help Jordyn to forget the circumstances that had led to the dark marks on her skin./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Dancing had been her escape for as long as she could remember. The second she heard the music, she would lose herself in the intricacy of her steps. Weightlessness would fill her veins and she would finally feel free./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Instantly, Jordyn slipped off her shoes and pulled her cardigan away from her shoulder. Stretching her arms slightly, she ignored the red marks that travelled from her elbow to her shoulder. They didn't matter in that moment. In that moment, all that mattered was her extensions and the position of her hands./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Remembering the routine, she had been working on, Jordyn pressed play on her mobile before walking back to the back of the room. Stretching her arms above her head, a smile automatically filled her face as she felt the tension between her shoulders shift./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"There was no other way to describe the feeling she felt than an out of body experience. When she dance she felt like she was someone else. Who she was depended on the dance, but she was never Jordyn Pillsbury. That is what she loved the most./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"After what felt like years, she was lead on her back on the floor looking at the ceiling as she gasped for breath. There was a slow clap from the door, causing her to shoot upright. Her love for dance may have been strong, but she didn't want anyone else to know about it./span/p 


	5. Chapter Four

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Will had been stood at the door for the last couple of minutes, his eyes fixed on the delicate movement of his student. Until that moment, he had only been able to see her as the broken girl Emma had describe to him, but then everything changed./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Her pirouettes held a confidence that he wouldn't have believed she owned when he spoke to her in class. Her lines were long, her extensions complete. Without realising it, Will had been there for entirety of her dance and had clapped his hands together./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"His action had caught her attention. Surprised by the sudden noise, she had shot up from her position on the ground. Snapping her head towards him, Jordyn's eyes widened at the teacher as he stood nodding his head at her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Sucking in a breath, Jordyn scrambled to her feet. Eyes wide with fear, she smoothed out her dress before declaring, "I'm sorry. Am I not supposed to be in here?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Oh no, you're fine." Will stated, stepping into the room slightly more. "Not many students come in here, that's all. None that dance like you just did."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Looking down at her feet, a small smile filled Jordyn's face, "Thanks, but I'm not the best."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I don't know, I haven't seen someone at McKinley who can dance like that since I was here." Will passed the girl her bag, as she slipped her shoes back on. "Where was it you went before?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""JFK in Denver."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""They are performing arts centric, right?" Jordyn nodded, taking her bag from his hand and following him out of the studio. "McKinley doesn't support the arts so well. We have a show choir and state of the art facilities, but the students don't get that kids of the arts will one day be those that they see on TV."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Most schools are like that." Jordyn muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Unless they specify that they have specialist programs you just assume that they will be like that."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Nodding in agreement, Will asked, "So, you leant to dance at JFK?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Not completely," Will looked at her confused, so she elaborated, "my mom taught me. She used to get fed up of people assuming that we were nothing alike because we were polar opposites aesthetically, so she taught me to dance."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""It must be hard," Will stated, remembering what Emma had said about her Mom./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Jordyn raised her shoulder, unsure of what to answer with, "I guess, but she was gone for a year almost before I moved in with Emma. The worst part is when I think about what I could have done to prevent it."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Will looked at the girl – whose face held a solemn look – silently questioning what she meant./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Sometimes I wonder what would have been different if I had spoken up." She declared, Will's face dropping as she began to blame herself. "Maybe if I had said something when he started drinking, we could have gotten out of there."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Before Will could ask anything else, Jordyn was shaking her head a confused look on her face, "I don't know why I said all of that. I guess you are just easy to talk to."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Any time," Will smiled, slowing down as the duo reached Emma's office. "If you ever need someone to talk to who isn't Emma, my door is open."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Lifting her head as she bit her lip, Jordyn wondered how long this new life was going to stay like that. It wasn't that she would call it simple, but it was less complicated than before. Before she was constantly lying to those who she cared for the most. Now, she was telling total strangers the truth./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""You ready to go?" Emma questioned, her smile aimed at the duo./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Yeah." Jordyn declared, turning to Will before she left. "Thanks again Mr Schuster, for listening."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""No problem." He replied. "I'll see you both tomorrow."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"~*~/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Staring blankly at the page of her book, Jordyn blinked at the mess of letters before her. She had been home for hours and had been reading for almost as long. No matter how much she loved to read, it didn't stop her from being victim to the floating and blurred words./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Growing up, she had spent most of her time reading. When she was at JFK she would spend her free lesson sat in the library reading. Of course, it had led to the occasional taunt from her peers, but that didn't bother her. There was very little she loved more than the scent of new books./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"However, the scent also reminded her of her mother. Anita Gomez lived in long, chunky knit sweaters and smelt of old books and cinnamon. So, as Jordyn took in a large breath, her mind travelled to her mother. Although she still loved her mother with all her heart, it hurt to think about her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"However, it didn't hurt anywhere near as much as it used to. In fact, after having spoken to Will earlier that day, Jordyn felt like the weight that she had been carrying for two years had been lifted. For that she was more than thankful./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Crossing the living room from the kitchen door, Emma noticed the book in her niece's hand and questioned, "Have you called your Literature partner yet?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""No," Jordyn answered, standing up to get her school bag. Being only the first day of school it was still perfectly organised, not that it was going to stay that way for long. Reaching into the front pocket, Jordyn's heart leapt in her chest. There was no cold metal for her to wrap her hand around./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Emma, can I borrow your phone?" Jordyn questioned as she remembered connecting her phone to the speakers earlier that day. She was so flustered by the arrival of Will that she had forgotten to pick it up./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Where is yours?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I think I left it in Mr Schue's classroom," she lied, not wanting to admit to her time in the dance studio. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she stood before the woman a sincere look on her face. "I'll make sure I get it tomorrow."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Fine, but only this once. You need to take better care of your things." Emma scorned, Jordyn rolling her eyes slightly. "I saw that."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""That was the point!" Jordyn called back as she took the mobile and walked up the stairs to her room./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Pushing open the door, Jordyn pulled the scrap of paper from the copy of em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Lord Of The Flies /emfrom her bag. She had placed it in that book in hopes that she would remember it. However, like the majority of her genius plans, it had not worked out./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Dialling the numbers into Emma's phone, Jordyn took a deep breath before pressing the call button. Talking over the phone had always been a difficulty for her. There were no social cues over the phone, it always threw her off./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Hello random number."/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Hi, it's Jordyn, your Literature partner." She spoke, stuttering slightly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"There was a light chuckle down the line, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""I thought you weren't Jordyn?"/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I am, but only when it suits me." She joked, unable to hold back the smile that was now firmly on her face./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""So, it suits you now?" /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"He asked, Jordyn could hear the smirk on his face./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Yes, yes it does, boy who is my Literature partner." Jordyn declared, sitting on her bed and opening her notebook to the Literature page./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I'm Kurt by the way."/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Kurt." Jordyn repeated. "I wouldn't have pegged you as a Kurt."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Well, normally I'm not like this. Your sarcastic nature had rubbed off on me." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"He explained. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""I am that kid who is always tossed in the dumpster."/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Shocked, Jordyn questioned, "Wait? That actually happens?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Very much so." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Kurt answered. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""I wouldn't worry though. You look like a cheerleader, you should be dumpster and slushie free."/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Slushie?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Oh dear, you need a McKinley education." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Kurt mumbled. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""Tomorrow lunch, I am going to go over everything."/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Thanks."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""I will speak to you tomorrow."/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Sure." Jordyn answered, suddenly remembering that she was on Emma's phone. "OH, and don't save this number, it's my aunts. I'll give you mine at lunch tomorrow."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""Sure." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;"Kurt retorted. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""See you tomorrow, Not Jordyn."/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua',serif;""See you." Jordyn said before hanging up the phone. A smile spread across her face as she thought about how she had been at McKinley for a day and she already felt like she belonged. She wasn't sure how long it would last./span/p 


End file.
